The second survey, carried out by on-line polling organisation YouGov for KPMG, found that shoppers are planning to leave their festive spending spree late this year, with a total of 44% intending to finish their present buying the week before Christmas, and a further 13% expecting to complete as late as Christmas Eve.

This compares with 41% and 12% of shoppers questioned in the first poll conducted two weeks ago, according to the study.

Helen Dickinson, head of retail at KPMG, said: ‘With so many people planning on leaving the bulk of their shopping until the week before Christmas, retailers are really going to have to be on top of their game in terms of stock availability and levels of customer service to ensure that they get the most out of the shopper.’

The study also found that the gap between men and women has further widened in this second survey, in both the amount of money to be spent on presents and the timing of their present buying.